The Effect of a Group-Based Training Program on the Parenting Self-Efficacy and Parent CHILD Interaction for Parents of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background:

A substantial body of evidence documenting the positive effects of group-based parent training in developed country contexts. Benefits include, but are not limited to, decrease in parental stress, increasing in parenting competence and increase in family well-being. However, relatively little research in low and middle-income countries like South Africa investigates the benefits of group-based training for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The COMPASS parent training program is a group based training program which has been designed for implementation in the South African context. This training program aims to enhance parents’ ability to support their child’s communication development by teaching parents four language facilitation strategies (contingent responding, modelling, expansion of language and creating opportunities to talk).

Objectives:

This study investigated the effect of the COMPASS program on:

• Levels of parenting self-efficacy
• Parents communication interaction with their child.

Methods:

A pre-test post-test quasi experimental group design was employed. Parent’s self-efficacy was measured using two parent self-report measures, namely the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC) and the Parenting Self-Efficacy Measuring Instrument (P-SEMI). Parenting interactions were video recorded and analysed by blind assessors using the Parenting Interaction with Children Checklist Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO).

Results: Thirty-one parents with a mean age of 34 (SD 5.51) participated in the training program. Using an alpha level of .05, a dependent-samples t test was conducted to evaluate whether parents post training self-efficacy scores differed significantly from their pre-training scores. The data indicate that the parents average PSOC score after training (M = 88.36, SD = 11.06) was significantly higher (indicating higher self-efficacy levels) than their average PSOC score before training (M = 85.00, SD = 13.78), with t(30) = 44.48, p < .000, d = 5.65. Furthermore, parents average PSEMI score after training (M = 117.87, SD = 27.23) was significantly lower (indicating higher self-efficacy levels) than their average PSEMI score before training (M = 129.10, SD = 34.15), with t(30) = 24.098, p < .000, d = 2.81. The analysis of the parent interaction scores (pre and post-test PICCOLO data) is ongoing, however these data will be included in the presentation. Preliminary parent interaction results suggest that parents are able to incorporate the targeted communication strategies in their interactions with their child.

Conclusions: A group-based training program, such as COMPASS, improved the levels of parenting competence (specifically parenting self-efficacy) and increased parent use of the target communication strategies during parent-child interaction. Further research is needed to establish additional benefits of group based parent training for parents living in low and middle-income countries such as South Africa.